Ayşe Gürsöz | Photographer and Visual Storyteller

[Lima, Peru] Lourdes Esther Huanca Atencio, Indigenous rights activist and the founder of the National Federation of Female Peasants, Artisans, Indigenous, Native and Salaried Workers of Perú.

[Wainunu Bay, Fiji] A view from drone of a Wainunu Bay village that is fighting to protect their waterways from industrial agriculture projects threatening ocean wildlife.

(Canada) Snutetkwe Manuel, pictured with her daughter, of the Tiny House Warriors, e a group of Secwepemc land and water defenders who are on a mission to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline from crossing unceded Secwepemc Territory. Their ten tiny hous — (Canada) Snutetkwe Manuel, pictured with her daughter, of the Tiny House Warriors, e a group of Secwepemc land and water defenders who are on a mission to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline from crossing unceded Secwepemc Territory. Their ten tiny houses are placed strategically along the 518 km Trans Mountain pipeline route to assert Secwepemc Law and jurisdiction and block access to this pipeline.

[Wild Coast, South Africa] Human rights activist, Nonhle Mbuthuma at South Africa's Eastern Cape. Nonhle's organization Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC) has protected Xolobeni's ancestral lands on South Africa's Wild Coast from destructive titanium min — [Wild Coast, South Africa] Human rights activist, Nonhle Mbuthuma at South Africa's Eastern Cape. Nonhle's organization Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC) has protected Xolobeni's ancestral lands on South Africa's Wild Coast from destructive titanium mining and corporate exploitation.

[Oakland, Ca] brontë velez, founder of Lead 2 Life, utilizes art, ecological restoration, and ceremony to transform instruments of violence (like surrendered firearms) into shovels and arbors for community tree-plantings.

Portrait of Zenaida, the Vice President of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), Ecuador's largest indigenous rights organization

[Cordova, Alaska] Dune Lankard (Eyak) guides us through the rapidly melting Sheriden Glacier

[Kenya] Johnson shares the physical toll of exposure to agricultural pesticides, documenting the tumor on his face and rashes on his legs. Living with cancer, he hopes his story will encourage other smallholder farmers to carefully consider the risks — [Kenya] Johnson shares the physical toll of exposure to agricultural pesticides, documenting the tumor on his face and rashes on his legs. Living with cancer, he hopes his story will encourage other smallholder farmers to carefully consider the risks associated with chemically intensive farming systems promoted alongside genetically modified seeds.

[Madrid, Spain] Casey Camp Horinek (Ponca) embraces Bineshi Albert (Anishinaabe) at a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women rally in Madrid, Spain outside the UN COP.

[Namosi Province, Fiji] Toma Damudamu, a member of Namosi village who is standing up against the proposed dam and mining project.

[Portland, OR] Portrait of Switch, an activist in Portland Oregon. Assignment for Swiss-based publication WOZ.

Joey Montoya, founder of Urban Native Era. Oakland, CA

Portrait of elder and granddaughter in Sousse, Tunisia at the New Media, a cultural heritage foundation.

[Surat Thani, Thailand] Pratheep Rakhanthong (often spelled Prateeb) is a prominent land rights defender and a founding member of the Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT). Operating primarily in Surat Thani province, he and the SPFT advoc — [Surat Thani, Thailand] Pratheep Rakhanthong (often spelled Prateeb) is a prominent land rights defender and a founding member of the Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT). Operating primarily in Surat Thani province, he and the SPFT advocate for landless small-scale farmers fighting to reclaim degraded or illegally occupied corporate palm oil plantations to establish community-run sustainable food forests.

[Surat Thani, Thailand] Pratheep Rakhanthong (often spelled Prateeb) is a prominent land rights defender and a founding member of the Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT). Operating primarily in Surat Thani province, he and the SPFT advoc — [Surat Thani, Thailand] Pratheep Rakhanthong (often spelled Prateeb) is a prominent land rights defender and a founding member of the Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT). Operating primarily in Surat Thani province, he and the SPFT advocate for landless small-scale farmers fighting to reclaim degraded or illegally occupied corporate palm oil plantations to establish community-run sustainable food forests.

[Bali, Indonesia] A participatory mapping initiative led by AMAN has documented more than 32 million hectares of Indigenous territories across Indonesia. By working to register these maps in the national database, AMAN helps protect ancestral lands f — [Bali, Indonesia] A participatory mapping initiative led by AMAN has documented more than 32 million hectares of Indigenous territories across Indonesia. By working to register these maps in the national database, AMAN helps protect ancestral lands from encroachment while advancing formal government recognition of Indigenous territories and the communities' rights to steward them.

Esther Girón, prominent Afro-feminist attorney, community organizer, and co-founder of Aquelarre RD (and Aquelarre Bonao) in the Dominican Republic. She advocates for reproductive rights, human rights, and sustainable local livelihoods.

Canadian postage stamp collaboration featuring a portrait of Josephine Mandamin.

[Wild Coast, South Africa] Human rights activist, Nonhle Mbuthuma at South Africa's Eastern Cape. Nonhle's organization Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC) has protected Xolobeni's ancestral lands on South Africa's Wild Coast from destructive titanium min — [Wild Coast, South Africa] Human rights activist, Nonhle Mbuthuma at South Africa's Eastern Cape. Nonhle's organization Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC) has protected Xolobeni's ancestral lands on South Africa's Wild Coast from destructive titanium mining and corporate exploitation.

[Surat Thani, Thailand] Choosri Olarkit, Committee Member of the Women's Articulation of the Southern Peasant Federation of Thailand

Kandi Mossett (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara), Native Energy and Climate Campaign Organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), has emerged as a leading voice in the fight against environmental racism.

Niria Alicia Garcia, Xicana environmental activist at a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women rally in Madrid, Spain outside the UN COP.

Lourdes Esther Huanca Atencio, Indigenous rights activist and the founder of the National Federation of Female Peasants, Artisans, Indigenous, Native and Salaried Workers of Perú.

Members of the National Federation of Female Peasants, Artisans, Indigenous, Native and Salaried Workers of Perú process large Incan corn, choclo or Cuzco giant white corn.

Gusti Mangku Rupa, the leader of Catur Customary Village in Bali, Indonesia. His community's coffee farm employs traditional agricultural practices to restore the land.

Helen "Granny" Redfeather at Standing Rock, 2016

Drone view of the rapidly melting Sheriden Glacier in Cordova, Alaska

Stormy Saint-Val, member of Lead 2 Life, a group that utilizes art, ecological restoration, and ceremony to transform instruments of violence (like surrendered firearms) into shovels and arbors for community tree-plantings.

Members of the Catur Customary Village in Bali Indonesia at a meeting discussing their coffee farm which is restoring the land through traditional agricultural practices.

Father of Human rights activist, Nonhle Mbuthuma, at South Africa's Eastern Cape in from of his homestead. His daughter has protected Xolobeni's ancestral lands on South Africa's Wild Coast from destructive titanium mining and corporate exploitation.

Choosri Olarkit, Committee Member of the Women's Articulation of the Southern Peasant Federation of Thailand holds turmeric grown from their farm. A symbol for remediating land devastated by monocropped palm oil.

Choosri Olarkit, Committee Member of the Women's Articulation of the Southern Peasant Federation of Thailand on the way to their food forest.

Fijian woman farmer who works with the Social Empowerment Education Program

[Sousse, Tunisia] Habib, one of the last doormakers in Sousse stands inside his woordshop and studio.

Habib, one of the last doormakers in Sousse Tunisia poses with his granddaughter

Next-generation youth leader within the Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT). They advocate for land rights, agroecology, and community self-governance against illegal palm oil corporate land grabs in Surat Thani Province.

[Bali, Indonesia] View of the Tenganan village rice fields

Drone view of the rapidly melting Sheriden Glacier in Cordova, Alaska

Dune Lankard, founder of Native Conservancy has helped protect more than one million acres of coastline in the Gulf of Alaska while advancing Native stewardship and community resilience.

Sevkit, one of the last porters in Mardin, Turkiye.

[Portland, OR] Zion Arberry-Baribeault and her mother, Arjorie, who used to live in West Eugene, Oregon, stand for a portrait near their current home in Portland. Arberry-Baribeault got involved in Beyond Toxics after her friend’s son’s cancer diagno — [Portland, OR] Zion Arberry-Baribeault and her mother, Arjorie, who used to live in West Eugene, Oregon, stand for a portrait near their current home in Portland. Arberry-Baribeault got involved in Beyond Toxics after her friend’s son’s cancer diagnosis. Now, she’s the environmental watchdog’s community organizer for West Eugene, also called Bethel, helping residents understand what’s going on in their backyards and explaining how to contact city leaders and join community information and advocacy meetings.

Members of the National Federation of Female Peasants, Artisans, Indigenous, Native and Salaried Workers of Perú process large Incan corn, choclo or Cuzco giant white corn.

[Ayacucho, Peru] Children playing on a makeshift basketball hoop. Members of The National Network of Women in Family Farming (RENAF), a network of rural, peasant, and indigenous women's organizations from regions such as Huancavelica, Ayacucho, and P — [Ayacucho, Peru] Children playing on a makeshift basketball hoop. Members of The National Network of Women in Family Farming (RENAF), a network of rural, peasant, and indigenous women's organizations from regions such as Huancavelica, Ayacucho, and Puno, feed children in the community through food sovereignty efforts.

[Niaguis, Senegal] Members of Nous Sommes La Solution (translated as “We Are the Solution”) is a major women-led grassroots movement and NGO in West Africa. It promotes family farming, agroecology, and food sovereignty by empowering rural women who l — [Niaguis, Senegal] Members of Nous Sommes La Solution (translated as “We Are the Solution”) is a major women-led grassroots movement and NGO in West Africa. It promotes family farming, agroecology, and food sovereignty by empowering rural women who lead traditional agricultural resource management and local food production.

[Surat Thani, Thailand] Pai, Leader of Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT). They advocate for land rights, agroecology, and community self-governance against illegal palm oil corporate land grabs in Surat Thani Province.

[Vuanu Levu, Fiji] Portrait of elder who is anti-mining from Nakorovoi village

[Surat Thani, Thailand] Preeda Panmuang, Women's committee member of Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT). They advocate for land rights, agroecology, and community self-governance against illegal palm oil corporate land grabs in Surat Th — [Surat Thani, Thailand] Preeda Panmuang, Women's committee member of Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT). They advocate for land rights, agroecology, and community self-governance against illegal palm oil corporate land grabs in Surat Thani Province.

[Portland, OR] Portrait of Hannes Wingate, land artist, place maker and creative director.

[Ayacucho, Peru] Heirloom corn from farm in Cuzco highland region of Peru, grown by members of the National Network of Women in Family Farming.

[Glasgow, Scotland] A member of Amazon Watch outside a rally protesting Chase Bank for it's financing of fossil fuel mega-projects.

[Standing Rock, South Dakota] Jackie Fielder is an American politician, educator, and activist serving as the member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for District 9, representing neighborhoods like the Mission, Bernal Heights, and Portola

[San Francisco, CA] Niria Garcia and Xiomára lead a protest outside BlackRock, urging the private equity firm to stop making the climate crisis worse with its investments in fossil fuels.

[Standing Rock, South Dakota]

[Niaguis, Senegal] Members of Nous Sommes La Solution (translated as “We Are the Solution”) is a major women-led grassroots movement and NGO in West Africa. It promotes family farming, agroecology, and food sovereignty by empowering rural women who l — [Niaguis, Senegal] Members of Nous Sommes La Solution (translated as “We Are the Solution”) is a major women-led grassroots movement and NGO in West Africa. It promotes family farming, agroecology, and food sovereignty by empowering rural women who lead traditional agricultural resource management and local food production.

[Baringo County, Kenya] Christine, a farmer and member of the Seed Savers Network holds seeds from her farm stored in a traditional method that can keep seeds viable more than 10 years.

[Surat Thani, Thailand] A member of the Southern Peasants Federation of Thailand demonstrates the difficulty of removing oil palm trees left behind by a former plantation. Monoculture oil palm plantations can degrade soil health and biodiversity, and — [Surat Thani, Thailand] A member of the Southern Peasants Federation of Thailand demonstrates the difficulty of removing oil palm trees left behind by a former plantation. Monoculture oil palm plantations can degrade soil health and biodiversity, and their extensive root systems make them difficult to fully remove during land restoration efforts.

[Laselavu Village, Fiji] It takes a long and challenging journey for farmers to bring their crops from remote villages to market. For the community in Laselavu Village, the trip begins with a boat crossing before continuing along rough roads for hour — [Laselavu Village, Fiji] It takes a long and challenging journey for farmers to bring their crops from remote villages to market. For the community in Laselavu Village, the trip begins with a boat crossing before continuing along rough roads for hours. The Social Empowerment and Education Programme (SEEP) supports farmers by helping transport their produce to market, advocating for improved road infrastructure, and securing market stalls where communities can sell their harvest directly.

An elderly woman wearing traditional African clothing, including a white and red patterned dress, a colorful yellow and blue scarf, and a headwrap, stands outdoors in a grassy area with trees in the background, holding a walking stick and looking at — An elderly woman wearing traditional African clothing, including a white and red patterned dress, a colorful yellow and blue scarf, and a headwrap, stands outdoors in a grassy area with trees in the background, holding a walking stick and looking at the camera.

[Surat Thani, Thailand] Choosri Olarkit, Committee Member of the Women's Articulation of the Southern Peasant Federation of Thailand

[Glasgow, Scotland] A member of Amazon Watch outside a rally protesting Chase Bank for it's financing of fossil fuel mega-projects.

[Ayacucho, Peru] A member of the National Network of Women in Family Farming (RENAF) peers into one of the fitotoldos they've constructed. These are handmade greenhouse shelters that protect crops in high-altitude climates.

[Ayacucho, Peru] A member of the National Network of Women in Family Farming (RENAF) shares greens from the fitotoldos she's constructed. These are handmade greenhouse shelters that protect crops in high-altitude climates.

[Niaguis, Senegal] Mariama, founder of Nous Sommes La Solution (translated as “We Are the Solution”) is a major women-led grassroots movement and NGO in West Africa. It promotes family farming, agroecology, and food sovereignty by empowering rural wo — [Niaguis, Senegal] Mariama, founder of Nous Sommes La Solution (translated as “We Are the Solution”) is a major women-led grassroots movement and NGO in West Africa. It promotes family farming, agroecology, and food sovereignty by empowering rural women who lead traditional agricultural resource management and local food production.

[Ollantaytambo, Peru]

[Sousse, Tunisia] Community portraits during my residency at The New Medina

[Oakland, Ca] Spiritual workers surround a robust altar, smoke wafting upward, as they cleanse surrendered guns before they are melted down and turned into shovels by Lead to Life.

[Oakland, CA] Portrait of poet Mark Tilsen (Lakota) for his poetry book on Standing Rock.

[Standing Rock, South Dakota] Sign posts of tribal nations that have visited the Standing Rock encampment to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline

[Montana] Leroy Comes Last (Lakota Sioux):
“We will never have world peace until we go back to the matriarchy way.” — [Montana] Leroy Comes Last (Lakota Sioux): “We will never have world peace until we go back to the matriarchy way.”

[Lower Brule, South Dakota] Charles Pretty Sounding Flute says "I’m just an Ikce Wicasa, a common man. It’s the highest honor to be Ikce Wicasa, because it means you give yourself to your people. That’s the way I was raised, and I feel fortunate to b — [Lower Brule, South Dakota] Charles Pretty Sounding Flute says "I’m just an Ikce Wicasa, a common man. It’s the highest honor to be Ikce Wicasa, because it means you give yourself to your people. That’s the way I was raised, and I feel fortunate to be raised that way. It’s a life long-learning process."

[Standing Rock, South Dakota] Members of the camp unload a batch of firewood that came in as a gift to the Standing Rock encampment to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline.

[Oakland, CA] Katie Loncke, co-founder of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship

[Sunriver, Oregon] Model Cadence at a shoot in Sunriver, Oregon.

[Cordova, Alaska] Sea otter

[Bali, Insonesia] Pura Tirta Empul (Holy Spring Temple), located in Tampaksiring near Ubud. Built in 926 AD, it features crystal-clear natural springs where worshippers and visitors undergo Melukat, a sacred purification ritual to cleanse the mind, b — [Bali, Insonesia] Pura Tirta Empul (Holy Spring Temple), located in Tampaksiring near Ubud. Built in 926 AD, it features crystal-clear natural springs where worshippers and visitors undergo Melukat, a sacred purification ritual to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit.

[Namosi Village, Fiji] A view of the community and lands that would be threatened by a proposed open-pit gold mining project in Namosi province.

[Namosi Village, Fiji] Two kids from the Namosi village play in the river that would be threatened by a proposed gold mining project.

[Surat Thani, Thailand] Choosri Olarkit, Committee Member of the Women's Articulation of the Southern Peasant Federation of Thailand

Visual storytelling is one of the most powerful and engaging tools of our time to build – beyond walls and limiting beliefs – a thriving world where the rights and dignity of all communities and of the world’s biodiversity are respected and protected.

Visual Storytelling for Social Impact

Ayse is a photographer, producer, and cinematographer. Her work thematically focuses on social justice, human rights, and revolutionary futurisms.

About Ayşe

Portrait of Ayşe Gürsöz by Karen Tomczak